Best Laptop Displays in 2018 (Top 7 Picks)

January 29, 2018

Best Laptop Displays for Photo, Video, and Graphic Design Work

Though tablets, phablets, and smartphones have been gaining popularity as hand-held image editing devices, nothing comes close to the convenience of editing an image with a proper keyboard and mouse/pen input.

A portable yet powerful laptop, thus has no equal when it comes to the ultimate synergy of processing power and mobility. The only problem is the price. The more powerful your laptop is, the more capable it is in handling more massive RAW files and clean video clips. Albeit all of these comes at a higher price tag. In addition to these, you get higher display resolution when you increase the budget.

This discussion, however, is about a specific topic. Not just the processing power, which is always important. But also about the display resolution. A reader had inquired about the best bet regarding screen resolution on a mobile platform.

So, without further ado, here are the top choices for a laptop with pro display.

1. MSI 15.6 GS63VR Stealth Pro 4K Notebook

The MSI GS63VR is a 15.6″ display pro notebook with 4K / UHD resolution. This laptop is actually a gaming option. But most gaming laptops are also perfect for photo and video editing works. As editing professionals the only thing that you don’t need is the high refresh rate which helps in a smoother gaming experience. This is something that is never a requirement for photo and video editing.

The MSI 15.6 GS63VR is powered by a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ Quad-Core processor and paired with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 graphics processing unit that has a dedicated 6 Gigs of DDR5 RAM. There are two storage units on the notebook. A 512 GB SSD drive that ensures that your operating system and major editing applications load up in a heartbeat. Additionally, there is a traditional 2 TB HDD which is a good way to back up your memory cards before backing them up on an external hard drive. There is also a higher version which comes with a 1 TB SSD.

The display on the large 15.6″ monitor is a beautiful 3840 x 2160, backed by IPS technology, which allows you to edit your work on a large sharp display. The notebook comes pre-equipped with Windows 10.

2. MSI 17.3″ GT73VR Titan 4K Notebook

The MSI GT73VR comes across as a large laptop. Not the first preference when it comes to portability. But under the hood, the GT73VR is a very powerful notebook. It is optimized for gaming performances though. Thus, it is powered by a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7-7820HK Quad-core processor and paired with a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 graphics processor with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Storage is powered by a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD which ensures that you have the right mix of high-speed storage and extended storage for fast boot and speedy access of editing applications. But the highlight of the GT73VR is the 17.3″ IPS display with a resolution of 3840 x 2160.

A large display with high resolution is perfect for editing images and processing videos. Thanks to its gaming pedigree you have all the processing power you need on the go.

The Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro is powered by a 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-core processor with AMD Radeon Pro GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM. The internal RAM of the MacBook is 16 GB.

The storage on the 15.4″ MacBook is all SSD with a total capacity of 256 GB. It is not huge regarding the standard HDD powered notebooks that we have listed above. You will require an external storage option to back up your photos and videos from time to time. But at least you will have the advantage of faster access to applications and lightning booting speed.

The display on the 15.4″ monitor of the MacBook offers a resolution of 2880 x 1800 (Retina Display). The screen supports P3 color gamut ensuring that you have brighter and more accurate colors when editing your photos and videos.

Reliable colors are necessary for correct white balance adjustment and color grading when editing your videos. This MacBook comes preloaded with macOS Sierra for use straight out of the box.

This device is powered by a 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-core processor and is paired with AMD Radeon Pro 560 Graphics with an internal memory of 4 GB (GDDR5).

Overall internal memory is 16 GB (2133 MHz RAM). This is a 7th Generation Kaby Lake processor. The processor can be overclocked using Turbo Boost up to a maximum of 3.6 GHz.

The total internal storage of the MacBook is 512 GB SSD. Better than the mid-2016 model Apple MacBook 15.4″ that we discussed above. But certainly not enough if you are a serious photographer who shoots mostly in RAW or a videographer. You will need an external hard drive for backing up your data.

The 15.4″ display comes with a resolution of 2880 x 1800 (Retina Display), and this is something that you would love working with.

5. Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

This Apple MacBook Pro is also a mid-2017 model. However, this one comes with a slightly faster processor and better storage than the previous two 15.4″ MacBooks we have discussed thus far. So, if storage is an issue for you, or you need more processing power then this is the model that you should opt for.

This 15.4″ MacBook Pro comes with a 3.1 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-core processor and an AMD Radeon Pro 560 Graphics card with a built-in 4 GB GGDR5 RAM. The processor can be overclocked to a maximum of 4.1 GHz.

The internal memory of the device is 16 GB (2133 MHz RAM). Internal storage of the MacBook is 1 TB comprised solely of a SSD drive. Thus, this MacBook Pro is suitable for long-term storage of photos and videos and gives you enough storage to back up your photos and videos from several sessions.

Just like the previous two MacBook Pros that we have listed here, this one too comes with a 15.4 display and a resolution of 2880 x 1800 (Retina Display). The device comes preloaded with macOS Sierra.

6. Our Pick: Lenovo 17.3″ ThinkPad P71 Mobile Workstation

The Lenovo 17.3″ is a large mobile workstation notebook. It is powered by a 3.1 GHz Intel Xeon E3-1535M v6 Quad-core processor and is paired with a NVIDIA Quadro P4000M Graphics Card (8 GB GDDR5). The processor can be pushed further via Max Turbo Frequency to a maximum of 4.2 GHz.

The internal memory of the notebook is 16 GB of ECC DDR4 RAM and storage is comprised of a 512 GB PCIe SSD drive.

The large 17.3″ display has a 4K / UHD resolution of 3840 x 2160. A large display coupled with a high resolution is the perfect recipe for editing photos and videos. While editing images, you can see the pictures quite large and when editing videos you can fit in an extensive view of the timeline and the control panel.

Windows 10 comes pre-loaded which means you just need to install your favorite photo/video editing application and you can start working right away.

7. Microsoft 15″ Surface Book 2 Multi-Touch 2-in-1 Notebook

Intel Core i7-8650U Quad-Core CPU powers this 2-in-1 notebook device that doubles as a large 15″ tablet for your convenience. The 8th Gen Kaby Lake R CPU has a base clock speed of 1.9 GHz. However, you can overclock it to a maximum of 4.2 GHz. Along with it a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Graphics card with 6 GB GDDR5 VRAM powers the graphics processing of the notebook.

The display of the 15″ notebook is a decent 3240 x 2160 (PixelSense Display). The detachable design ensures that you can use the device as a proper notebook or as a tablet according to your preference.

The internal memory of the notebook is an 8 GB of GDDR5, and total storage is 512 GB. All of it is SSD which ensures that the Microsoft Surface 15″ is lightning quick when opening editing applications as well as when launching the OS.

The notebook comes pre-equipped with Windows 10. One of the major features of the Microsoft Surface Pro 15″ is that it supports 10-point touch which is integrated into Windows 10. Though this may be too much to utilize fully, you now have more options in your hands (or shall we say fingers?).

Rajib's love for the road is second only to his love for photography.
Wanderlust at heart and a shutterbug who loves to document his travels via his lenses; his two passions compliment each other perfectly.
He has been writing for over 8 years now, which unsurprisingly, revolve mostly around his two favorite pursuits.